2 leeks, halved and shredded few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
1 bay leaf
200g pearl barley
2 litres vegetable or chicken stock
1 large courgette, quartered then thinly sliced
bunch of cavolo nero, finely shredded
2 large spring onions, finely shredded
pinch of cayenne pepper
large pinch of white pepper
juice of ½ lemon
large handful of parsley, finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a large heavy-based saucepan, heat the oil over a medium heat and add the onions. Cook for about 15 minutes until they have softened and started to go golden, before adding the garlic. Cook for a further minute or two, then add the white part of the shredded leeks (keep the green part for later), the thyme and bay leaf. Allow the leeks to soften for about 5 minutes. Next mix in the pearl barley and cook it for a minute before pouring in the stock.
Cook at a medium simmer for about 25 minutes until the pearl barley has cooked through but still retains some bite. At this stage add the courgette, cavolo nero, the green part of the leeks and the spring onions. The vegetables will only take a few minutes to cook through. Before serving season with the cayenne pepper, white pepper, black pepper, salt, lemon juice and parsley.
Here we have haricot beans that have been slowly cooked in tomatoes, white wine, beer, vinegar, stock and spices until they become slick with this piquant sauce. You can eat these with a fry-up if you like, but they should really take centre stage. I love them stuffed into a jacket potato and topped with grated cheese, guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, jalapeños and fresh coriander.
SERVES 4
Preparation time 30 minutes
Cooking time 4 hours 30 minutes
300g dried white haricot beans
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 garlic bulb, halved
300ml passata
250ml white wine
250ml Boston beer
500ml fresh gelatinous chicken or vegetable stock
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
2 tbsp sherry, red wine or cider vinegar
1 tsp black treacle
1 tbsp English mustard
1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted
few sprigs of thyme
good pinch of cloves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water. The next day, drain and rinse the beans and put them in a heavy, ovenproof casserole and add fresh water to come about 10cm above the beans. Bring to the boil and cook for 10–15 minutes, then turn the heat down to a simmer for about 1 hour until the beans are tender but not completely soft. Drain and leave to one side.
Heat the oil in a medium casserole and slowly brown the onions for 10–15 minutes. Add the halved garlic, cut side down, for the last minute of cooking so it starts to caramelise. Next add the passata, white wine, beer and stock and bring to the boil. Mix in the brown sugar, vinegar, black treacle, mustard, cumin seeds, thyme, cloves and black pepper. Simmer this sauce for 30 minutes. Your sauce will be pretty loose, but fear not as it will have a few more hours cooking in the oven with the beans.
Preheat the oven to 150˚C/130˚C fan/gas mark 2. Put the sauce in a blender and blitz for a minute, or until super smooth. Wash out the casserole and put the beans and sauce back into it. Put on the lid and bake in the oven for 3 hours. The beans should be cooked through and the sauce should coat the beans with some slight charring on the edge. If the sauce is too thin, remove the lid and reduce it on the hob until it is thickened and full of flavour. Season with salt and pepper and you’re ready to serve.
This vegan spag bol has been niftily made, carefully building layers of flavour so that even the most hardened meat eaters won’t feel that they’re missing out. The base begins in the same way, with a really buxom soffrito, but in place of the meat, I’ve used soy mince (Sainsbury’s own frozen is the best I’ve tried) and a combination of fresh and rehydrated dried mushrooms with a smoky tofu chopped into a mince. It’s imperative to use all three as they each add something different. This, along with the umami dense miso, mushroom stock, Marmite and nutritional yeast, gives you an outstandingly ‘meaty’ finish without harming a soul, as well as boosting the nutritional value to a level that a normal spag bol could only dream of. This makes stacks and freezes brilliantly, so it’s a perfect batch cook recipe.
SERVES 15
Preparation time 30 minutes
Cooking time 1 hour 30 minutes
1 x 50g packet dried porcini mushrooms
1 x 50g packet dried shiitake mushrooms
olive oil, for frying
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
2 leeks, finely chopped
1 head of garlic, cloves finely chopped
2 tsp tomato purée
300ml white wine
400ml red wine (or wine of any colour)
2kg fresh tomatoes, blitzed into a purée
120g fresh shiitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
300g portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped
250g chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 x 500g packet frozen soy mince, defrosted
300g smoked tofu, whizzed in a blender
2 tbsp white miso paste
1 tsp Marmite
1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
3 sprigs of rosemary
6 or 7 sprigs of thyme
3 bay leaves
500ml vegetable stock
½ tsp celery salt
½ nutmeg, grated
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
basil leaves, to serve
First rehydrate the dried mushrooms. Empty both packets into a small bowl and cover with 1 litre of boiling water. Place a smaller bowl on top and leave for 20 minutes while you chop up your vegetables. When rehydrated, chop the mushrooms fairly finely to resemble mince, making sure you reserve the water.
Heat a decent slug of olive oil in the largest flameproof casserole you own (I use a deep Le Creuset casserole 30cm wide), then put the onions, carrots, celery and leeks into the pan and sweat them